


We'll Always Be Your Home

by just_another_outcast



Series: the scenes we deserve (episode tags) [7]
Category: Prodigal Son (TV 2019)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Big Bro JT, Bullying, Coda to 1x07, Episode Tag, Episode: s01e07 Q&A, Gen, Malcolm Bright Needs a Hug, Papa Gil, Protective Dani Powell, Protective JT Tarmel, Tag to 1x07, Team as Family, random jerk
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-18
Updated: 2020-06-18
Packaged: 2021-03-03 19:47:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,264
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24781048
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/just_another_outcast/pseuds/just_another_outcast
Summary: Someone gets a hold of the interview tapes and decides to make Malcolm's life hell with this new information. Luckily, his team is his family, and they're not going to let anyone treat him as anything less.(tag to 1x07, Q&A)
Relationships: Gil Arroyo & Malcolm Bright, Malcolm Bright & Dani Powell, Malcolm Bright & JT Tarmel
Series: the scenes we deserve (episode tags) [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1782832
Comments: 6
Kudos: 105





	We'll Always Be Your Home

**Author's Note:**

> The title comes from the Woe Is Me song Family First, which I highly recommend. It's a great song. Also, I had to tweak the timeline just a little bit. Just pretend that the conversation between Malcolm and Jessica, when they find the phone in the basement, takes place the following night, and not the same night as when everything happened at Claremont. Anyway, I hope you enjoy, and please leave a review!

The day of Ainsley's interview with their father had definitely been one of the worst days of Malcolm's week, maybe even of that entire month. It was truly a testament to how many horrendous days he had that something as terrible as what had occurred that day could only rank as a bad day for the week or month, not even the whole year. But, regardless, Malcolm was so grateful when the day ended. If nothing else, he could stare at the ceiling for a few hours before giving up on sleep and going back in to work. That was just as likely to end in a truly impressive night terror, since the worst days usually did, but maybe a night terror was worth it if he got at least an hour of sleep. He truly needed some sleep. But, since fate hated him, sleep was not his destiny for the night. Another few hours of tossing and turning and mulling over the day's events once again ended with Malcolm groaning and giving up.

Malcolm went into the precinct early, hoping to get any additional statements he had to make about the previous day's events out of the way as quickly as possible. He needed to be able to focus on finding the Junkyard Killer. But, once again, fate was out to prove just how much it hated him.

Aside from his team, Malcolm didn't really know anyone else at the precinct. They expressed no interest in knowing him, most of them even having a pretty overt aversion to him, and Malcolm was used to that reaction towards him from others, so he didn't really try to change that. At first, once word got out that he was The Surgeon's son, there were just as many whispers behind his backs, snide comments to his face, and plethora of looks when they thought he didn't see as there had been back in school. Gil had put as much of a stop to that as he could, and, over time, it went away. They didn't like him or trust him, but they tolerated him well enough, and most of them stopped being overtly cruel. Even Dani and JT had begun making sure that things stayed that way, beginning to silence anyone who dared to treat him differently with a single look. The two of them were the only ones who were allowed to tease him. Malcolm had gotten used to actually being treated like an almost normal human being by everyone else. Maybe that was his first mistake.

As Malcolm stepped inside the precinct and made his way up to the desk that had somehow become his own, he noticed that people were staring at him again. A quick stop in the bathroom proved that he didn't have anything on his face or something in his teeth, and his suit was as pristine as ever. And yet they still stared. He could see them whispering to each other, some giving him looks of pity, others giving him a look that just said "yikes". What was going on?

Malcolm quickly made his way back to his desk, not making eye contact with anyone. The rest of the team wasn't there yet, so he couldn't ask them what was going on. Until then, he needed to focus on his work. He'd been tuning out bullies for twenty years, he could do it again.

But it was a little hard to tune them out when they were standing right in front of him. A hulking mass of a man stood right in front of Malcolm's desk, blocking the first rays of the sun from where they had been falling over the folders and papers. Malcolm looked up to see one of the night shift guys, Douglas, glaring down at him. Malcolm just stared back up at him at him. He wasn't in the mood for this.

"Can I help you?" he finally asked the man.

"Yeah, you can help everyone in this precinct by getting the hell out of here," the man said. Malcolm opened his mouth to respond, but Douglas wasn't finished. "We all knew you were a freak, but now? Complex PTSD, severe anxiety, freakin' night terrors? Wow kid, you're really screwed up in the head. Of course, no one's surprised that you can't have a steady relationship. Who would want to be with someone as messed up as you?" Malcolm just sat there, opening and closing his mouth. How did Douglas know all that? And why would he say it? "Even your own sister threw you under the bus," Douglas scoffed. "With all your ridiculous problems, you're a danger to everyone in this precinct. Why is someone the FBI fired even here? So how about you do us all a favor, and get the hell out of here," he said, leaning down into Malcolm's personal space and pointing a finger in his face. Malcolm didn't say anything. He didn't have the slightest idea how to respond. He just stared up at the man, not breaking eye contact as he fought against his own racing heartbeat. "Of course, can't even say anything, you freak, Whitly," the man muttered, shaking his head and rolling his eyes before finally walking away.

Malcolm released a breath he didn't even know he was holding. He ran his shaking hands through his hair and tried to calm himself down. Ainsley's cruel words came screaming back to him, leaving him much the same as they had the moment she said them. He knew she hadn't meant anything by it, she was just overly ambitious and hadn't been thinking of the effect that her words would have on him. She hadn't meant to hurt him, and probably still didn't even know that she had. But how had Douglas known about all of that? How had he seen that interview?

He focused on his breathing, in for four steady beats, out for four steady beats. Having an anxiety attack in the middle of the precinct was not going to help things. He needed to calm down. But he could practically feel everyone's eyes on him, the looks of pity screaming "victim" and the looks of disgust screaming "freak". Malcolm gathered up his files and moved into the empty conference room, closing the door behind him. He could still hear Douglas laughing.

Malcolm knew he was messed up. He knew he was both a freak and a victim. He didn't need people he didn't even know reminding him. Malcolm closed his eyes tight against a sudden onslaught of emotion. Everyone knew. He didn't know how, but everyone knew. He wiped away a single tear the moment it escaped his eyes. This wasn't anything he hadn't dealt with before. It sucked, it always did, but he was never going to get away from it. The sooner Malcolm accepted that this was his lot in life, the faster he could move on and never let it effect him like this. Why did it still effect him like this? He'd been dealing with it for twenty years. Why did it still hurt? Another tear fell. Why didn't people get tired of being so cruel?

The door to the conference room opened, startling Malcolm and causing his heartbeat to jump up once again. He quickly wiped his tears away and hoped that no one had seen them. It was JT.

"You okay, bro?" he asked, looking at Malcolm with genuine concern. Damn it. He'd seen. Malcolm put on as giant of a smile as he could. If he pretended that nothing happened, maybe JT would too.

"Yeah, I'm just great," he replied. "How are you this beautiful morning?"

JT just looked at him with even more concern. "I'm good," he said, eyes studying Malcolm like he was seeing something he'd never seen before.

Malcolm's blood ran cold. What if JT was about to say something like Douglas had? The man had expressed a very clear distaste for him when they met, and although Malcolm had thought that JT finally liked him, maybe he was wrong. Maybe JT had just been waiting for the right time to let Malcolm know how he truly felt, and Malcolm was about to ostracized from his own team once again. That was the whole reason why in the FBI, he always worked alone.

JT must have noticed a change in both expression and posture that Malcolm himself hadn't even realized he'd done.

"Are you sure you're okay?" JT asked again. He closed the door behind him and sat across the table from Malcolm. He did look genuinely worried. If the man had been about to mock him, he wouldn't have any reason to be truly concerned. Malcolm was jumping at shadows once again. He really was a paranoid freak.

"I'm fine," Malcolm replied, but he didn't use the fake smile or say anything else. He looked back to the case files laid out across the table. JT sighed. Malcolm could tell that the man didn't believe him.

"Did somebody say something?" he asked.

"People say things all the time. It's called communication, and in this case, the English language," Malcolm quipped back. He succeeded in pushing JT away.

"Whatever, man," he said, standing up and pushing the chair in. "I'm just tryin' to be a friend, but whatever." He walked out the door and closed it behind him, heading towards Dani, who was just walking into the precinct.

Malcolm deflated. He messed up. JT really was trying to be nice to him and Malcolm purposely pushed him away. Why was he like this? Douglas was right. It wasn't the fault of other people that Malcolm was always so alone, it was his own fault. He did this to himself by shutting people out the moment that they tried to prove that they cared about him. How could he blame all his problems on the cruelty of others when he was the problem himself? He shook his head once more. Douglas was right.

The door opened again, this time with Dani walking in. She didn't close it behind her. Malcolm glanced out and could see JT and Douglas arguing by the door, but he couldn't tell what they were saying. He was about to ask Dani, but she beat him to it.

"JT really cares about you," she said, skipping formalities and pleasantries. "I know he doesn't always act like it, but he's accepted you as part of this team, as a part of this family. And once JT accepts someone like that, he goes to bat for them forever. Bright, I know you've got issues with trust, I do too, but JT is in this with you for the long haul. Putting up walls to try to push him away isn't gonna cut it. Trust me, I've been there. I get it. You've wanted JT to like you and now that he does, you're scared." Malcolm opened his mouth to object, but Dani rushed on before he could. "But you can't stop JT from caring. You can annoy him a lot, but he's not gonna give up on you. He never gave up on me. He never gives up on anyone. Just right now, he's giving Douglas a piece of his mind, because he cares about you and he's going to stick up for you. I know it's easier said than done, but you have to let him. This isn't just a team, Bright, it's a family. And family doesn't give up on each other." She paused for a moment, but not long enough for Malcolm to figure out what he was supposed to say in return. "You should go wait in Gil's office. He wants to talk to you before he says anything to the squad." She walked away before Malcolm could say anything, leaving him there with his thoughts.

Malcolm relaxed back into his seat. He wasn't good at this. The only people that Malcolm knew he could always count on to go to bat for him, no matter what, were Gil, Ainsley, and Jackie while she had been alive. Not even his own mother was a sure thing growing up. Things were changing a bit with her now, but Malcolm still wasn't so sure. Even Ainsley was changing. Or maybe Malcolm was just finally being forced to take off his rose colored glasses and see his little sister for who she truly was. He took a deep breath once more. Ainsley was just overly ambitious and didn't realize that what she had done had been deeply hurtful. Part of him thought he should talk to her about it, but Malcolm knew he never actually would. Besides, it wasn't as if what she said hadn't been true. Everything she had said was accurate, and she had done what she had to in order to get the view of their father that the world needed to see.

It was irrelevant anyway. Malcolm started gathering the files and folders together to bring them to Gil's office, so he could wait there as Dani had suggested.

"Going so soon?"

Malcolm darted up at the voice, who had come in from the door at the other end of the conference room. It was Douglas. His shift was over. Why hadn't he left yet?

"You know, I just can't figure out what they see in you," the man said with a shake of his head. "Arroyo is a good man, and a good cop, so I don't know why he would trust the rest of his team to a little freak like you, much less protect you. It makes a man wonder, what is Arroyo getting out of you?" He gave Malcolm a once over that left his meaning completely clear.

"He keeps me around because I'm a good profiler," Malcolm shot back with a glare, responding to the man for the first time that day. He was done silently taking it.

"Oh, come on, Whitly, there's plenty of profilers to be found," Douglas dismissed with a wave of his hand. "Why would he keep a schizo freak like you on retainer if he didn't have some ulterior motive?"

"Hey!"

Both Malcolm and Douglas turned to see JT angrily walking towards them, Dani right on his heels, looking equally pissed. Out of the corner of his eye, Malcolm could see Gil standing by the precinct doors, just watching.

"What did I say?" JT practically growled.

"You don't scare me, Detective Tarmel," Douglas scoffed. "In fact, maybe you're getting some from the little freak too."

JT took several steps closer, until he was standing only a foot away from the man, pointing his finger at him. Dani stood back, standing between Douglas and Malcolm, in what seemed to be a protective stance.

"You say something about him one more time..." JT trailed off, his meaning clear nonetheless.

"You won't do anything," Douglas shrugged. "A little psycho like him is good for the higher ups for one thing and you won't-"

Douglas was on the floor, clutching his nose and groaning in pain before Malcolm could even blink.

"You bastard, you broke my nose," Douglas groaned.

"I didn't see anything," Dani said. "You tripped over the chair, fell, and hit your nose on that filing cabinet." She pointed to the one close by. "While you were grabbing your transfer request papers."

"That's what I saw," JT added. "Isn't that what you saw too, Bright?" JT came around and stood next to and slightly in front of Malcolm, mirroring Dani's position. He put his hand protectively on Malcolm's shoulder.

"Yeah, yeah. That's what I saw too," Malcolm said. He was still surprised that all of this had just happened, but of course he was going to follow his team's lead.

"Then that's exactly what happened," Gil added from the other door. He was leaning against the other doorframe, arms crossed, glaring down at Douglas. "And I expect to see those transfer papers by the end of the week. Now get out. Your shift ended an hour ago and you need to see a doctor." He jerked his head towards the precinct doors in a clear dismissal.

"Yes, sir," Douglas growled, but did as he was told nonetheless. Gil moved and closed the door behind the man, as well as the other door, giving the team some privacy. Only once the room was secure did JT and Dani move from their places in front of Malcolm. He didn't know what to say. He didn't even know where to begin.

"Dani, JT, I'm very proud of you both," Gil said, giving them both genuine smiles.

"We protect our own," JT said, smiling back at Malcolm, who finally smiled at him in return.

"It was a no brainer," Dani added with a shrug.

"Thanks, guys," Malcolm finally said, although he couldn't look at them while he was saying it. "I'm sorry this happened, I don't even know how it happened, how he knew-"

"Kid, it's okay," Gil interrupted. "None of this is your fault. One of the investigators into what happened at Claremont yesterday got a hold of those tapes for evidence, and spread them around a few of the precincts. He's since been fired, but clearly, the damage has already been done. I will be making a statement to whole precinct about it and reaffirming that someone's private business is their own, and here at the 1-6, we treat everyone with respect and dignity."

"So they've all seen it?" Malcolm asked, his voice breaking slightly. "Everyone has seen those tapes, what Ainsley said-." He broke off. He knew the interview still had a good chance of getting aired, but he was hoping to maybe at least have time to prepare himself for all of his trauma to be laid bare for the world to see before it happened. He felt a squeeze on his shoulder. It was Dani, standing right next to him, giving him just a little bit of the comfort that she knew he clearly needed.

"I'm sorry, kid," Gil said. "You know what Ainsley said isn't true."

"But it is true," Malcolm added with a shrug. "Everything she said it completely accurate. I have PTSD and anxiety and night terrors and I was fired from the FBI and I- I am, a victim." He started out passionately, but finished in a whisper. Ainsley was right about everything, and he hated it.

"You're so much more than that," Gil insisted. He sat backwards in the chair right next to Malcolm, up close to him. Dani still stood behind him while JT sat across from him. "You're a survivor, and you're a part of this team, this family. And that matters before anything else."

"And this family stands up for each other," JT tacked on. He and Dani shared a look and a nod.

"And every crime fighting family needs a profiler," Dani said, giving Malcolm's shoulder a friendly shake. He cracked and smiled.

"You make us sound like we should all live in Wayne Manor together," Malcolm said.

"Gil is totally the Alfred to your Batman," JT pointed out, as if he were joining in on some scientific discussion.

Gil scoffed. "I am much younger than Alfred, thank you very much," he groaned, but joined in laughing.

The last day had well and truly sucked, but maybe this one wasn't going to be so bad. This team really was a family, laughing and goofing off together, and standing up for each other no matter what. Malcolm could get used to that.


End file.
